This 1960 Volkswagen Type 2 T1 panel van was built on 1 August 1960 for the 1961 model year and supplied new to San Antonio, Texas. It is a genuine factory M215 example — left-hand drive, with cargo doors on both sides from new and a US-market specification package that included bullet-type front indicators. Finished in a grey and white two-tone scheme over a tan and white interior, it shows 8,095 miles and is now offered by Open Air Imports in Greet, Gloucestershire, England, with a 30-photo gallery.

The seller supports the specification with an official Volkswagen certificate from the VW archives — the ‘Birth Certificate’, obtained in 2022 — verifying the chassis data, factory specification and M-plate decoding, together with import documentation and extensive restoration and service history. The van spent much of its life in the dry San Antonio climate, returned to the UK in 2013 and was first registered here in 2016, and has since been given an extensive restoration and a sympathetic retro-inspired build. It sits lowered on polished SST Radar alloys with low-profile tyres, with opening safari windows front and rear, bumpers with overriders and chrome trim.

The cabin is trimmed in tan and white vinyl, with a bench seat in front and a walk-through cargo area with storage, quality flooring and a rock-and-roll seat/bed. Equipment includes a multi-speaker and amplifier setup, a retro-look Bluetooth radio with twin USB leads in the front cabin and two 12-volt outlets in the cargo area.

The seller presents the mechanical specification openly as a set of upgrades rather than factory specification: a Dan Simpson-built 1776cc engine with twin 40 Dellorto carburettors, 123 electronic ignition and a Vintage Speed stainless exhaust; a Freeway Flyer gearbox; a Creative Engineering front beam; front disc brakes; an independent rear suspension conversion; and an uprated Concept Racing fuel tank. Just over 8,000 miles have been covered since the restoration and engine build, and the van received a fresh service in June. It is registered as an historic vehicle, exempt from road tax and ULEZ charges, and holds a valid MOT into 2027.

The first-generation Type 2 — the split-screen ‘Splittie’ — is the definitive early Volkswagen commercial, and factory double-cargo-door panel vans in this specification are seldom seen.